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Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:59:14 -0500Town of Amherst - Get the latest from Blogen-usMicrofiber Pollutionhttp://www.amherstma.gov/Blog.aspx?IID=6
Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:19:07 -0500You may have heard of microplastic pollution, which are tiny, microscopic pieces of plastic in the ocean that have broken down from larger plastic items (since plastic doesn't decompose, it just breaks down into tiny pieces that remain in the environment). These microplastics are then ingested by ocean dwelling organisms, some of which are in turn eaten by us.
One form of microplastics is microfibers, which come specifically from synthetic textiles. When we wash and dry synthetics (clothes and textiles made from petroleum or recycled plastics such as nylon, polyester, and fleece), tiny fibers come off, go into the wastewater, which is unable to filter them, and then into rivers, lakes, and the ocean.
In the environment they break down further, becoming microscopic. Organisms ingest these microfibers either through filter feeding, or by eating organisms that contain them. People also can ingest them when they eat seafood.
So what can you do to prevent microfibers from your synthetic clothing from getting into the environment? If you don't want to get rid of all of your synthetic clothing, which most of us don't, you can use a product that catches and traps the microfibers so they don't go into the wastewater. Two products have been tested and shown to be effective, and are available for purchase (more products are likely in the works). They are:
The Guppyfriend- This is a tightly woven bag that you put your synthetic clothes in when you launder them. You then clean out the microfibers and put them in the trash. http://guppyfriend.com/en/ or order from Amazon or other online retailers.
The Coraball - This ball made from soft recycled plastic has many little "tentacles" that catch and trap microfibers. As with the Guppyfriend, you clean the microfiber fuzz off and throw it in the trash. https://coraball.com/
Consider trying one of these products, and do your part to stop adding to microfiber pollution in waterways!
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